Audi record January sales beat Mercedes

Audi outsold Mercedes in January and analysts said the lead over its German rival may grow.

Audi sales rose 10 percent last month to 137,700 vehicles, due to strong growth for the enhanced A3 compact series and the revamped TT sports car.

“We have made a good start to the year although global economic uncertainties remain considerable,” reported Audi sales chief Luca de Meo, adding that he expected another increase in sales this year. Audi’s advantage over Mercedes may expand to 178,000 cars by 2020 from 136,000 last year, research firm IHS Automotive said.